Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 83
I want rest! (for IRL matter) So I can spend much of my times to do this series.
83. Mari-nee and Memento Mori battle
Since the war with the neighboring country Legios was decided, we were supposed to focus on leveling up for the battle, but it didn’t turn out that way.
Because, you see, my role was to meet with her highness the Empress, so I didn’t really need to participate in the battle in the first place.
The three who were disappointed to the point of pity after receiving vague promises were the ones who decided to join in without consulting me. I remembered that, and I tossed away any sympathetic feelings.
By the way, the people of the <Young Saint Sect> were very enthusiastic about fighting in our place.
Maybe it’s also because the king said they were counting on us as the main force of adventurers?
As for us, instead of participating in battles, we were tasked with producing a large quantity of goods.
We couldn’t refuse when we were told it was to strengthen the military power and prepare for emergencies.
In reality, it was Kanna-san who went off on a tangent again and ended up taking it all upon herself.
Honestly, maybe Kanna-san would be fine as the clan master?
I briefly thought so, but that didn’t seem like it would turn out well either, so I tossed away that idea.
In the end, we spent almost every day in Mebius immersed in cooking for a week.
Cooking was something I started because I liked it, but doing nothing but cooking like this makes me feel like I’m losing sight of the purpose of my job.
Still, there was one good thing – he started helping me with the cooking.
He would set out the necessary dishes, tidy up, things that didn’t stand out much, but he really helped me.
He seems to think I haven’t noticed his actions.
But there are only two of us in the kitchen, so there’s no way he could hide it.
I couldn’t help but smile at his clumsiness.
Days passed in a busy manner like that, and then came the day of the war.
We left the capital and arrived at “Memento Mori.”
If I were to describe that place in one word, it would be a giant chessboard.
The ground, which corresponded to the board, was covered with square-cut stones like marble, fitting together seamlessly.
In a real chessboard, adjacent squares are colored alternately to avoid having the same color, but in “Memento Mori,” the Legios side was black from the center of the board, while the Caldian side was white.
The color of the equipment worn by the Legios soldiers was blue.
The color of the equipment worn by the Caldian soldiers was red.
And as for why I had such a bird’s-eye view…
“Quite a splendid sight, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, indeed…”
In the center rear of each camp, there were towers or structures too grand for mere lookouts, allowing us to overlook the battlefield. But could we really be allowed in a place normally reserved for the king and his retinue?
By the way, the people of the <Young Saint Sect> were already stationed on the board.
And among the adventurers, there was also Bart, though his name was still red, and it seemed like people kept their distance from him, but the red hue seemed lighter than before.
Surely, he must have worked hard without anyone knowing…
That seemed like a form of solace, and secretly, I cheered Bart on.
“It seems that meeting with Maria was just an excuse after all,” the king murmured while staring into the distance.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Just like us, Legios has erected a tower. The Empress is in the center, but strangely, there are two others beside her. She was always alone until now. And looking closely, the one next to the man, could it be…”
The king’s words intrigued me, so I used my enhanced vision to see. Indeed, there was a tower-like structure in Legios, and there was a remarkably beautiful woman sitting in the center.
Could that be the Empress? She wore armor of an even deeper blue than the soldiers on the board.
And just as the king said, there was a man standing behind her.
The color and features of his armor seemed somewhat similar to the Empress.
But what caught my attention was the other person.
Unlike the other two, her clothes were dark and somber, like mourning attire, and her face was covered with a veil.
From the attire and physique, I assumed she was a woman, but her figure, tightly close to the man, seemed like a shadow.
“I have a bad feeling about this… We’ll keep an eye on her, Maria. Be careful too. The Empress’s intentions are unclear.”
“Understood.”
After I replied, I called Nero and Kuuga.
Using Nero as a puppet, I directed him with Moira’s Blessing.
“Speaking of which, haven’t you given him a name yet? Are you still not going to call him anything?”
“If he accepts being a part of my family, then I’ll consider giving him a name. I already have one in mind.”
“Stop it, isn’t that a bit cruel to him?”
“Maria-chan, you understand that people have their strengths and weaknesses, right?”
“We’ll handle it.”
…excuse me, the three of you! I know what your three thought, you know!
Especially Roulette-san, it’s like she’s saying, “I can’t leave it up to you,” isn’t it?
Certainly, acknowledging his lack of achievements so far isn’t being stingy, right?
But this time, I couldn’t just leave it at that.
For him, and to confront what resides within him, I felt I should think of a name.
What would be a good name for him? I pondered for quite a while, but couldn’t think of anything.
So instead of a name that suits him now, I decided to name him after what I hope for him in the future.
At that moment, I came across a famous phrase, and I decided his name.
“I was planning to keep it to myself a little longer, but this might be a good opportunity. I want everyone to know, but until you accept it, I’ll call you ‘you,’ okay?”
“Hmph, do as you like.”
Despite that, his fingers crossed over his arms nervously, unable to hide his concern.
It’s like a dog wagging its tail, wanting to go for a walk despite having an indifferent face.
In terms of atmosphere, more like a wolf than a dog?
I’ve never seen a live wolf, so it’s just my imagination.
Gulp, someone swallowed audibly.
Well, it’s not that big of a deal, right?
And why are you three so worried anyway? That’s rude!
Suppressing the urge to shout, I took a deep breath before revealing his name.
“Your name is…”
At that moment, a particularly strong gust of wind swept through us.
Amidst the sound of the wind, my uttered name might not have been heard.
In fact, the king and the three of them asked, “What did you say?” But it seemed to have reached him, standing under the wind.
His black eyes were fixed on me, as if seeing something unbelievable.
The feelings I poured into the name and the name itself that I gave him…
May those feelings reach him and what resides within him…
As if coordinated by the king and the Empress, both raised their hands to the sky, and the board was enveloped in a faint light.
That was the signal, and the spark of battle was lit.
With a ratio of 1000 to 1000, half of which were soldiers of each nation and the other half adventurers, the battle began abruptly.
It started with the swift exchange of arrows and long-distance attacks that required no charge time.
That bought time, and then there was a flashy exchange of magic, followed by the vanguard charging in when things calmed down.
I feel like I’ve seen this flow in an event before, but is it a standard tactic?
He watched the battle expressionlessly, and looking into his eyes, I suddenly became curious and asked Roulette-san.
“By the way, why aren’t his eyes magic stones like Nero’s and Kuuga’s?”
“Well, that’s because it was rejected.”
“Rejected?”
“It’s just our speculation, but it’s because of the influence of <Wild Spirit of Disaster> Since it itself holds the meaning of a magic stone, or rather a nucleus, like for Nero-chan and Kuuga-chan, I think it’s because they would clash.”
“After all, it’s an irregular thing. It wouldn’t match with just any magic stone. I don’t think it would work even with higher-grade magical stones.”
“I see…”
If only colors would dwell in his eyes and the world would change…
Like when I came to Mebius and the world looked colorful…
As the king expected, the battle was favoring the empire.
Especially with a significant difference in the strength of the soldiers, the soldiers of Kaldia were constantly being pushed back.
Even though the king said, “We’re holding up better than usual. It’s thanks to your equipment and cooking,” if not for that, they would have been more overwhelmed.
But knowing such a disparity in strength and letting it go, is that really okay?
And another reason for the king to say we’re holding up well was the presence of those people.
“Advance! Let’s make the name of our <Young Saint Sect> no, our Saintess resound here!!”
“Ooohh!!!”
Graham-san, you don’t need to make my name resound, okay?
However, contrary to my wishes, the people of the <Young Saint Sect> were visibly boosting morale.
Their overwhelming presence led to the hesitation of the adventurers of the empire, who were being pushed back.
Although they wouldn’t be pushed out of the board unless they sustained a considerable amount of damage, unreasonable things were happening everywhere.
That warrior-like person affiliated with the sect, why is she biting the opponent’s throat in a scuffle…?
And Graham-san, even though you’re a hunter class, why are you at the forefront?
Attacking from close range, piercing with the arrows you had in hand, it’s clearly not the usual movements of a hunter.
Despite the efforts of Graham-san and others, the actions of the adventurers on the empire side fell off.
The empire probably has a lot of people belonging to the conqueror group.
In contrast, Caldia has many people focused on production.
Yet, would such a one-sided development really happen?
Despite my concerns, the battle between adventurers favored Caldia, putting pressure on the Legios soldiers and slowing their movements.
“Although we put up a much better fight than expected, it’s about time. And as expected, it seems Legios will win… Now, how will that Empress move?”
As the king muttered so, the light covering the board disappeared simultaneously.
And as the king said, although there were more adventurers on Caldia’s side, there were overwhelmingly more soldiers on Legios’s side.
The war ended with the victory of Legios.
As the battle ended, soldiers and adventurers from both camps began to withdraw.
From here, it’s somewhat my battle.
Invited by the king, I came here for a reason, to face Empress Wilhelmina von Legios.